2023 Update Parent Letter
Dear Parents,
Planning and designing summer camp is one of the great privileges of my life. Each year we spend a good portion of our time before the schedule comes out evaluating each program and camp that we offer. We discuss the wins from the previous summer and work hard to fix what didn't work. This was easier to do this year since we had been closed in 2020, and only half open in 2021. We paid attention closely in 2022 and we are bringing some changes to your attention.
Observations from 2022 that played into our planning:
Because of the shutdowns from Covid children are timider about spending a week away from home at camp.
Upper Elementary Students want a one or two-night option for camp.
One and two-night options for camp are really hard to schedule.
Specialty camps are not as popular as they were 5-10 years ago.
High School students want to be leaders and have leadership opportunities. They want to be needed and valued.
High School students want to play and be kids.
Swimsuits at camp need to be practical and help with sunscreen, modesty is no longer the focus but functionality.
Spaces like the Dining Hall and the Sanctuary can be incredibly overwhelming for campers.
Sensory issues are real and many of our staff and campers have them, and we need ways to honor this.
Kids need camp as much as if not more than they did before the pandemic.
This summer we are doing away with weekly one-night camps and have a one-time Preview Camp where all campers that want to know what camp is like can come and experience it. And we have provided a two-night option in July to help as well.
Our Counselor in Training Camp went back to the drawing board this season and has come out as Leaders in Training (LITs) that will combine observations 5 & 6 above.
Specialty Camps are gone for now and Junior Counselors are here to stay. Camp Horizon has been here for 75 years largely in part to its leaders who are willing to watch and innovate as needs arise. We are striving to continue this tradition and are excited to bring you a 2023 schedule that looks a little different but has been built with a whole lot of love and care!
We are still working on ways to be intentional about the other items on the list, these will show up in daily activities and some of the ebb and flow of the week at camp. Thank you for trusting us with your children.
- Darci Utt, Program Director & Mother of Two